BLOG

A good incentive to change

Easy to compare, simple to choose. That’s what the Energy related Products Directive should bring to the heating technology market when it arrives at the end of September and it is not overstating its significance to say that it could have a profound effect on the shape of the heating technology sector.

The aim of the ErP Directive, conceived by the European Union, is to reduce CO2 emissions by promoting the production and marketing of highly energy efficient appliances.

As of 26 September, heating products will need to carry a label showing clearly their energy efficiency rating on a scale of A+++ to G.

The effects are twofold. For manufacturers and installers, they need to ensure their products and systems are calculated and labeled correctly. For the end consumer, it provides a clear way of identifying the most efficient suitable products for their application, and of seeing what the difference in price is between a highly rated solution and one that comes further down the scale.

The ErP will remove the most inefficient products from the market, while the likes of heat pumps will earn A ratings and above on the label.

We could therefore see the ErP speed up the uptake of higher efficiency products including renewable heat technology.

This in itself comes as good news in the wake of the demise of the government’s target for all domestic buildings to be zero carbon by 2016 and for commercial developments to follow suit by 2019.

The Green Deal has also been shelved, removing another incentive for customers to choose more sustainable solutions.

So the ErP Directive for heating products arrives at a good time for the industry and its customers, providing a simple tool they can use to see the value in energy efficiency. We will see the best manufacturers and installers take advantage through better product quality and improved expertise in its deployment to achieve the energy efficiency gains possible.

What’s more, the end users should see the results of those improvement on their energy bills. It’s a win win situation.